Turpentine Kisses
by Awesome-Silver-Hand
Summary: Before she even knew what was happening her lips had found their way to the left cheek of Joe Lucas.... Joe/Macy


**I do not own JONAS or any of the characters/people mentioned. Don't own don't sue (:**

As Joe Lucas walked the hallways of Horace Mantis, he couldn't help but cough at the smell coming from the art room. He never understood how the art students could spend a whole lesson in the room without getting some sort of high what with all the fumes floating around. But as he heard the unmistakable sounds of Macy Misa's signing through the walls, he never gave a second thought about the fumes.

Entering a room filled with knife blades, hot glue guns and Macy would have been his idea of a nightmare no less than two months ago, but since she had gotten her fan girl under control he began to know the real Macy. And she sure was something.

"Hey Mace" he said as he entered, the smell hitting him like a slap in the face.

She put the brush in her hands into the glass of water next to her before giving it a swirl. Joe took a second to look at her work. On the paper in front of her was their school symbol, a praying mantis, along side a few words of encouragement.

"Oh hi Joe, what are you doing here?" she asked before dipping her brush into the red paint.

"Well, I was about to head out and look for Kevin, but I got distracted by your _beautiful_ singing" he said with a laugh.

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you Joe" she replied in a shot.

"Wow, that's hurts Mace" he said over dramatically as he held his hand over his chest.

Ever since the new Macy had surfaced, the two of them had been throwing the witty banter back and forth like they had known each other for years, not months. She felt kind of bad since it should be Stella he was directing his attention towards, but when she saw Van Dyke sling his arm around her shoulder and making her smile in that way, she knew she wouldn't mind.

"So what are you painting?" he asked as he took the seat next to her.

"Coach came to me the other day and asked if I could paint a new poster for our upcoming game. That woman is pretty scary when you defy her, so of course I said yes"

He laughed. Joe had never actually been in the gym with HMA's coach, but he had certainly heard her barking orders from the corridor.

"Can't say I blame you. Though, I never knew you were an artist" he pointed out.

Macy ducked her head in embarrassment before her modesty shone through. "It's not that hard, I mean there's only really the mantis to paint. I'm sure you could do it"

"I'm pretty sure I couldn't, unless it was a stick man. My stick men are Turner Prize worthy" he said proudly.

Then it was Macy's turn to laugh. "Your going to have to show me one of your masterpieces one day, so I can see what all the hype is about"

"You'll be blown away" he said with a grin. "So do you have any more of your work around here or is this just a one off?

She placed the newly loaded brush back into the water, her smile faltering ever so slightly. She knew perfectly well that she had a folder of her school project from the past year in the cupboard, but her subject matter was the only thing stopping her. You see, when they had started their projects at the beginning of term she was still in fan girl mode, so naturally her project consisted of the guy next to her and his two brothers.

Joe and her had been getting along so well over the past few months and didn't want to ruin that. She couldn't help but think that her work would remind him of the crazed fan she once was and scare him away.

"Erm, t-their is some of my previous project around here........ but I'm not sure you would want to see them" she advised.

Joe gave her a questioning glance as he raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I want to see? Don't tell me you one of those people who doesn't want to show their work and say it's terrible when it's actually astounding"

"No it's not that" she said. And it really wasn't "It's just that, well when we did these projects at the beginning of the year we were given the opportunity to chose our own subject matter. And at the beginning of the year I was – I mean I chose-"

"Mace" Joe said relieving her from the torture. "Are you trying to tell me that _I _might be in there?" he asked.

She let out a sigh. "I don't want you to still think I'm that fan girl, because I'm really not her any more Joe. I see you and the rest of the guys as my friends not just whoever of JONAS. I don't want it to sca-"

"_Macy_" he almost shouted, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I find it a compliment if anything that you would choose us, honestly I do" he said.

She flashed him a smile that he couldn't quite read before standing from her seat. He followed her with his eyes as she crossed the room and disappear into the the store closet. The odd sensation that he recognised as pride swelled in his chest as he finally realised how far Macy had come along. Before, even being alone in a classroom with him would have her needing a paper back to breathe. Now she actually scared to revert back to her old ways in fear of pushing him away.

"Okay" she said as she took the seat next to him "This is all of it. Don't say I didn't warn you"

Joe carefully removed the sheets of paper from their plastic confines as he prepared himself for the worst. He remembered how she used to gush to Stella about her JONAS themed bedroom, and if she could cover walls like that he can only imagine what she painted on the blank canvases. He was ready to see him and his brothers surrounded by red hearts or something.

As he focused on the page in front of him however, he saw no crudely drawn pictures or cheesy love hearts. What he did see was three separate portraits draw with precision, one each for him and his brothers surrounded with a border. A border that on close inspection were the lyrics he could remember Nick writing early one morning.

"You hate it don''t you" Macy said more than ask.

"Did you honestly draw this?" Joe asked, holding up the parchment for emphasis.

"Well I didn't steal it if that's what your implying" she said with a grin.

He laughed at her wit and set the portraits on the table. "It's really good you know. If you weren't so busy with the sports I might have to hound you to be our band's artist"

Once again Joe Lucas had under estimated Macy Misa. It happened first time with the aforementioned sports. When Stella was telling him about Macy's achievements and how they ought to go and give her some moral support at her next game- not that she needed it though, so Stella said. But the idea that one person could excel at so many sports at the same time was absurd to Joe, and came to the conclusion that telling him this was Stella's way of trying to get him to befriend the petite brunette.

And then Joe thoughts went his younger brother and the multitude of instruments he had played over the years. What more talents could Macy be hiding?

"I wouldn't say I was that good Joe" she said with a laugh. Not to say that she would refuse if he ever asked her.

"I think I'm going to give you a nickname. How about 'Modest Misa'?"

-

Macy was leaning against her locker in the hallway as she listened to Stella talk about her date from the previous night with Van Dyke. She wasn't really paying attention because honestly, Stella had told her the exact same details from their date last week. But being the good friend she was she listened like it was the first time.

"And after the movie finished he took me to the most amazing pizzeria that was two blocks away."

She didn't really wish to be hearing about food considering lunch break was so far away, but nodded her head anyway. Macy let her mind wander with Stella's voice playing like a rather convenient relaxation tape. Making sure to nod at regular intervals, she only picked up on every other sentence. There was a mention here for a door opening and a mention there for taking the bill, but Macy couldn't be sure.

"And the best part was, he kissed me at the door"

Stella never mentioned _that_ part before. Macy snapped from her reverie to make sure she heard correct.

"He kissed you?" Macy asked.

"Yeah, isn't he great? It was totally unexpe-"

Stella's words were interrupted by her cell phone buzzing. Macy gave her a nod to take it watching as her face quickly altered from the happy smiley Stella as the conversation progressed. By the time she ended the call she was positively seething.

"I'm sorry Mace I'm gonna have to tell you the rest later, Kevin needs an outfit change. How had he managed to even get _near_ a goat this lunch?"

Macy methodically opened her locker with practised ease as Stella left through the hallway. She fully understood how Kevin could be in close proximity with goats, it was a part of his allure she concluded. He was always on the border of a new plan or adventure, each one of them more exiting than the last.

A small yelp left her mouth as a piece of paper made contact with her stomach. Macy gave a quick scan around her to make sure no one had thrown it at her. She may be scarcely over 5ft, but Macy Misa wasn't a force to be reckoned with. There were small groups here and there, and she noticed Randolph sitting on the stairs, but no one was sniggering.

After retrieving the offending object, she couldn't hide the smile that crossed her face. There in front of her were two stick men, or man and woman she should say, standing in what she recognised as the schools atrium. Both figures had an arrow pointing towards their head, one saying 'Joe' and the other saying 'Macy'.

The grey splodge that she strangely knew was a goat, made her laugh. _Had Joe been in on Kevin's plan?_ she wandered.

"So what do you think?"

Looking over her shoulder, Macy's eyes connected with Joe. "Definitely the best stick people I've ever seen"

Joe gave her an enthusiastic nod of his head before standing in front of her. "Do you think I'll be holding the Turner prize next year?" The smile that graced his face was enough to melt Macy, but she kept her composure.

"Well I can't guarantee you _that" _she said "but I can give you this"

Before she even knew what was happening her lips had found their way to the left cheek of Joe Lucas, giving him a quick yet significant kiss. She pulled away with eyed wide open. There was a split second that she thought it might have been her imagination running away from her and that it never actually happened. But as Joe's hand reached up to cup his face, she knew it wasn't her imagination.

Who needs prestigious awards anyway?


End file.
